Computer Porn Charges Lead to Long Probation

January 8, 2012

By

Christopher Roy

NEWPORT CITY â€“ A Newport woman got more than she bargained for when her soon to be ex-husband gave her a computer. April 12, 2010, Amanda Crickard and Daniel Kelley reported to Newport City Police that Ray Crickard, 52, of East Burke, had given them a computer that had pictures of naked girls ranging in ages from five to twelve. Kelley had found the pictures while browsing the computer.
Amanda Crickard said she and Ray, with the exception of their two young children, were the only ones who had access to the computer. Amanda Crickard said she didnâ€™t know the pictures had been downloaded.
Police took possession of the computer and they executed a search warrant at Ray Crickardâ€™s residence in Barton in April 2010. They seized numerous items including DVDs, CDs, a hard drive, a laptop, a thumb drive, a video camera, several cameras and several phones with cameras.
As police were about to leave, Crickard arrived with his minor daughters. Crickard said he had no idea there were any pictures on his computer but it always had viruses.
Aug. 4, 2010, Detective Sgt. Brian Penders, an examiner with the Vermont Internet Crimes Task Force, reported doing a preliminary search of the seized materials and finding seven possible images of child pornography. Penders said Crickard used Yahoo Messenger to send someone a picture of his seven-year-old neighbor.
The detective also found a message from Ray Crickard detailing sexual acts he claims to have committed with one of his daughters. Another photo showed an unidentified minor engaged in fellatio.
On April 19, 2010, Officer Jennifer Harlow confronted Ray Crickard and told him that the computer and a thumb drive had images on them. Ray Crickard said the thumb drive belonged to Amanda Crickard. His response to the pictures was, â€śThatâ€™s weird, I wonder how they got there.â€ť
Harlow asked Ray Crickard if he wanted to give a statement regarding the thumb drive belonging to Amanda Crickard. Ray Crickard said he downloaded his work on the thumb drive and then downloaded everything off the computer he gave to Amanda Crickard to his new computer.
Last Wednesday, Crickard entered guilty pleas to one felony and three misdemeanor counts of possessing child porn. He received a probationary sentence. On the felony charge, he was sentenced to 2 to 4 years, all suspended except for 20 days; on the misdemeanor charges, he was sentenced to 10 to 12 months each, all suspended. The sentences are consecutive and he is eligible for discharge on Jan. 3, 2019.
He is also ordered to file in the sex offender registry, attend counseling, restrict contacts, comply with a treatment program, and perform community service.